Only Shadows
by PinkAngel17
Summary: There's something on the ship that's slowly draining the life from the crew. With no explanation of what's causing the odd sensations, how will the problem be stopped?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing! My muse just likes to play around with the characters.

A/N: So, this is my first non-humor related Voyager fic. Let's see how it goes, shall we?

* * *

><p>Something wasn't right. That much was blatantly obvious. The crew was silent, almost brooding. B'Elanna was jumpy, Tom paranoid as he could often be seen looking over his shoulder now-a-days, even the stoic Security Chief seemed on edge as if expecting an attack any second of every day. And Chakotay….<p>

Chakotay was as tense as she'd ever seen him. His posture rigid and his dark eyes almost blank orbs instead of having the usual spark that used to be a constant resident. Their evening meals were almost as silent as the rest of the ship. The food eaten quickly before they silently curled up in bed instead of the usual banter and ship's status conversations that had become their norm.

Then there was the coldness. That was perhaps the worst part. The constant chill in the air, and the random wisps of icy air that seemed to penetrate down to your very bones. It made you want to wrap your clothes tighter around yourself, but that never did any good. There was no escape.

Her only refuge was at night, buried deep in the covers of the bed with Chakotay's warm chest being used as a pillow. Only then did the cold seem to dissipate and even then it didn't completely leave her alone either. It was still there, not as noticeable perhaps, but still there as if waiting in the other room for her to awaken. Chakotay felt it too, she knew he did by the way he held her tighter as if trying to infuse some body heat.

Every morning for the last week she'd check the temperature, but it was always reported to be normal. At first she thought she was coming down with a cold, but the Doctor gave her a clean bill of health. After that, she'd run diagnostics on environmental, had B'Elanna double check everything, even had Seven run test on the space outside the ship to see if there was anything causing this strange coldness that invaded the ship and it's crew, but all came up with nothing for explanations.

And now it was worse. For the last two days the wisps of cold air had become more frequent. Then, of course, there was the feeling in the pit of your stomach. It was small, just an inkling of something that invaded deep into your soul. There was really only one word for it…fear. A complete and utter foreboding that left little room for anything else.

In the first few days it had only happened once in awhile, a random breeze of that ice air and then a deep feeling of fear would envelope you. Now, however, it occurred more often. There wasn't a single crewmember on board who hadn't felt it at least once by now.

And there was no explanation. That made it more worrisome because no explanation meant no way of stopping it. And it sure as hell needed to be stopped before what was left of her sanity went flying out an airlock.

"C-cap-ptain?" The soft, almost whispered stutter brought her head snapping up, her hand instinctively inching towards the hidden phaser she was now keeping in the back of her seat cushion.

It was only Tal Celes though. The young girl was just standing there, arms wrapped around her torso as her terror filled eyes darted back and forth. Janeway also noticed how pale the ensign's face was, her lips taking on a bluish tent that would make a person think the poor girl shouldn't have any energy left in her, but yet she still fidgeted from foot-to-foot. Whether from fear or just an attempt to keep warm she wasn't sure.

"Yes, Celes?" She acknowledged, keeping her voice firm even though the only thing she felt like doing was curling up into a pile of blankets for the next month on some desert planet.

"Why is it so cold? Why won't they just leave us alone!" She exclaimed, drawing the attention of the rest of the bridge crew present.

"They who, Ensign?" Janeway asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"They're everywhere! They…it's _so cold_." Celes continued, eyes moving around more frantically as if looking for some unknown attacker. The fear in her eyes seemed to be growing by the second as her breathing raced.

Janeway stood, taking a slow step forward so not to scare the young woman even more. "Celes…" She started, reaching out to gently take the ensign's shoulders. The other woman flinched, her eyes darting up to meet the Captain's even as she started shaking. "It's going to be alright." Janeway continued warmly, but firmly in hopes of convincing the scared woman.

"Ca-Captain." Celes whispered between shuttering breathes.

Janeway watched helplessly as the young ensign suddenly froze, wide, horror filled eyes staring ahead even as tears began leaking down her pale cheeks. "Cel…" She began, but before she could finish the sentence an ear piercing scream filled the bridge.

The sound stopped almost as soon as it began and Celes' body suddenly went limp. Janeway wrapped an arm under the crewman's shoulders, keeping her from falling, then slowly lowered the oddly still body down to the ground as Harry called the Doctor. As she looked down into the pale face of one of her crew she felt a burst of anger that seemed to dull the hard edge of the icy wind that had started swirling around her.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, what do you think so far? Also, this isn't necessarily a 'romance' fic, but there are bits of J/C scattered throughout.


	2. Another Mystery

Disclaimer: I still don't own Star Trek Voyager.

A/N: Here's the second chapter. It's a bit short, but I'll try to post the next part soon.

* * *

><p>Kathryn Janeway stood in the Doctor's office, arms crossed, as she stared out the window at the Doctor and Tom who were moving around the motionless Celes. She felt Chakotay standing behind her, giving off a silent form of support.<p>

With a sigh she tiredly rubbed her temples while walking to the opposite door way, away from the scene in the main sickbay. She only remained there for a few brief seconds though because now she just couldn't stay still. She had to do something other then stand around. So she slowly walked back across the room to the window, around the Doctor's desk and back to the doorway only to do the whole process over again…and again…

Chakotay, for his part, seemed to understand her dilemma. Instead of stopping her from wearing a hole in the carpet he moved to the side wall facing the Doctor's desk and simply watched as she paced back and forth. He didn't say a word, he didn't _need_ to say a word, they both knew the seriousness of the situation even without the Doctor telling them if Celes was going to make it or not.

She wasn't sure how long she paced back and forth as a thousand thoughts flew through her head at warp speed, but eventually the Doctor stepped into the office, bringing her to an abrupt halt as she turned to face him.

"Well?" She asked, a hard edge to her voice that belied the tiredness invading her body.

"She's alive." The Doctor answered simply before moving over to slump down at his desk. "That's the best news I can give you, Captain." He added when she and Chakotay exchanged a brief look.

"What's wrong with her?" Chakotay asked, stepping forward to stand next to the Captain.

The Doctor sighed, a look of disappointment briefly crossing his face, before shaking his head. "I really can't tell you. All I know is that something has drained her to the point that she's barely even alive. And it's getting worse. Her energy levels keep diminishing no matter what I do. At this rate all of her vital life systems will shut down within a matter of hours, maybe a day or two if we're lucky. She'll die."

"And you have no idea what's causing this?" Janeway asked, slowly moving over to the window to look out at the deathly pale young crewmember currently laying unconscious on the biobed.

"None of the scans I've run so far have given so much of a hint as to what's going on. Mr. Paris is performing a few more, but so far…" He started before letting out another soft sigh before continuing. "so far all I can tell you is that she's dying."

Janeway glanced back at him, not liking that answer at all, but also knowing there was no way around it. "Continue running tests, do whatever you need to. We'll be having a staff meeting in an hour." She added before walking past Chakotay and out of the office. She glanced briefly over at Tal Celes as she passed, noticing how Tom's hand was shaking as he held the tricorder over her body, but she didn't stop. She didn't have time to stop because she had to figure this out before it could happen again.

* * *

><p>AN: Next chapter coming soon!


	3. Myths

Disclaimer: I assure you that since the first chapter till now, I have not acquired the rights to Star Trek Voyager. I'll let you know if I ever do though.

A/N: I decided to go ahead and post this chapter since the last one was so short. We're getting a couple more clues now.

* * *

><p>There was a tension in the air that would normally be obvious enough to slice through Neelix's Leola chunk bread, however this time it went mostly unnoticed because of the sheer tiredness that had descended upon them. The chill in the air seemed to weigh heavily on them all and that, combined with the random bursts of fear and growing tiredness, overshadowed the thick tension in the room.<p>

Janeway stood with her back to the briefing room table as she stared out into the shimmering blackness outside. Glancing down at the coffee cup she had clutched between her hands she realized that not even the warm, usually comforting liquid was giving her anymore energy. In fact the supposedly hot drink didn't so much as even take the chill out of her fingers.

She heard the doors slip open as the last of her senior staff joined them, indicating it was time to start the meeting. With one last glance at the peaceful space outside the ship she went to turn…and stopped. One of those ice cold breezes was suddenly blowing past her, sending a brief freezing feeling through her limbs. Her hair didn't so much as sway though nor was there any other evidence that a breeze existed, but she _felt_ it.

It stopped a moment later, as if it never happened at all, but before she could even blink a feeling a dread began eating away at her. She closed her eyes, one hand reaching down to hold the edge of the window as she waded through the emotions being flung at her.

Thankfully, the sensation passed rather quickly this time, leaving her with the usual chill and sudden lack of energy. With a deep breath she opened her eyes and turned towards the table.

None of them seemed to have noticed anything, but that didn't surprise her. The wind and fear sensation usually only effect one individual in a room at a time instead of all at once. She moved towards her chair to sit since it probably wouldn't be very encouraging to the crew if their Captain suddenly just took a quick seat down on the floor in the middle of a meeting and, with the heavy tiredness invading her body, it was very likely she'd have to do just that if she didn't sit down in a chair soon.

Placing her coffee cup on the table, she glanced around at the gathered staff. Chakotay and his unusually blank eyes were gazing down at the table with furrowed brows, one curled fist laid out on the table while the other one lay limply in his lap. Across from him, Tom was staring at the wall with an emotionless look. When he felt her gaze on him, he caught her eye with the same emotionless stare and, for the first time that day, she was able to see the dark circles under his eyes.

The rest weren't much better. B'Elanna had her arms crossed protectively over her chest, while her red, sleep deprived eyes scanned the room suspiciously. Tuvok, she noted, was keeping a hand near the phaser at his waist while trying to look nonchalant. It didn't work. She could tell he was feeling the effects as well.

Harry, Neelix and Seven all sat still and silent, Seven seeming the most calm, but even her eyes would occasionally dart around the room with an apprehensive quality. The only one not effected was the Doctor, but even though he hadn't felt the effects he still wore a tense expression.

She didn't know how much longer this could continue without more disastrous effects, but it probably wouldn't be very long at this rate. It was time to fix this. "We haven't had much luck finding anything resembling an explanation." She began evenly, waiting until she had the attention of the assembled staff before continuing. "So let's go over what we _do_ know."

"It's cold." Tom stated, subtly tugging his uniform collar closer to his neck.

She raised an eyebrow at him, getting a half-hearted smirk in return. "Thank you, Mr. Paris, but I was hoping for something a little more helpful."

"It's not being caused by the ship itself." B'Elanna spoke up. "I've run every scan I possibly could and there's absolutely no reason why the temperature should be so low. In fact, according to the internal sensors the temperature inside the ship hasn't changed more then one or two degrees over the last week. It's within perfectly normal range."

"Are the sensors damaged?" Chakotay asked.

"No." B'Elanna answered with a shake of her head. "I've checked them, the Captain's checked them, Harry's…"

"Okay, I think we get the point." Tom muttered, getting a slight glare from the half-klingon.

"External temperatures are within normal range as well and I have detected no phenomenon in the area which would explain the situation. Furthermore, there are no breaches to the ship's hull." Seven explained evenly.

"That doesn't tell us a whole lot." Janeway murmured, mostly to herself.

"No, it does not."

Janeway glanced at the former borg at that comment, but then went on to the next topic. "What about Celes? Have you discovered anything new, Doctor?"

"As a matter of fact, I have." He answered, causing several of the gathered crew to straighten and look towards him hopefully. "Celes isn't the only one being drained of energy." He added gravely and, after catching her eye, continued. "Every member of this crew, with the exception of myself, is slowly losing energy. The reason for Ensign Celes' response was because her levels got dangerously low, but from what I can tell it wont be much longer before more of the crew reaches that almost non-existent level as well. If it's not stopped soon…"

"We'll all be dead." Harry provided, looking down at his hands thoughtfully.

Janeway looked around the table for a moment as silence echoed through the room. "What about the wind and the…odd sensation afterwards."

"Complete and utter fear." The Doctor stated. "According to Celes' results, as well as a few other crewmen I've examined, they have alleviated heart rates, trouble breathing, tremors, and various other signs that the victim is experiencing something that evokes terror. That repeated occurrence is causing symptoms like paranoia, depression, and high levels of anxiety."

"This can't be a natural occurrence." B'Elanna stated thoughtfully, shifting in her seat and crossing her arms tighter around herself.

Seven raised an eyebrow at the other woman who was now staring at the table top. "Obviously, Lt."

B'Elanna's head popped up with a scowl, but Janeway held up a hand to postpone the usual insults from being thrown back and forth. "This isn't helping." She warned, sending them each a pointed look.

"There's something else, Captain." The Doctor said, his voice low and almost hesitant. "The readings I got from Ensign Celes when she was first brought to sickbay…"

"Yes, Doctor?" She pushed when he broke off the sentence.

"They indicated that she'd just experienced an extreme amount of physical pain. In fact her pain levels were…quite high." He stated sadly, while watching her apprehensively.

"Why?" She asked, more to herself then anyone else as she contemplated that bit of information. "No one has reported any physical pain before. Cold, uncomfortable, but not actual pain." She pointed out.

"My only explanation is that whatever it was that drained all her energy caused her to feel that pain. This morning her levels were probably like the rest of the crews, low, but manageable. But then something, I don't know what, quickly took what was left in a matter of seconds instead of the slow drain that's been occurring for the last week." The Doctor answered, causing all those in the room to go into a contemplative silence.

"Neelix, have you ever heard of anything like this before? A disease, a parasite…" She asked the Talaxian, whose head quickly turned towards her as if he had been zoned out the previous moment.

"No, Captain. Nothing like this." He answered thoughtfully.

"I do not have any relevant information that would help this situation, however…" Seven began, glancing around the table before continuing. "The borg once assimilated a species who had a mythical story of an evil creature which fed off the souls of others. This 'creature' was supposedly invisible. It was never seen, only felt, and was known for invoking a terror upon it's victims that would turn said person's heart to ice."

Janeway nodded, brows furrowed in thought as she reviewed the tale. "That does sound familiar."

"It is a myth." Seven continued. "There was no basis of fact, no evidence of this creature's existence, and the species who invented the story was highly superstitious."

"Well, I don't know about you, Seven, but what's been going on around here sure as hell feels real to me." Chakotay stated, sharing a quick glance with Janeway before going back to his blank look.

Kathryn nodded once again, pushing her chair back and standing up. "It's very possible that you're right, Seven, and that is was just a story, but at this point we need to look into any possibility. Where do these people live? Maybe we can get some more information from them."

"That would be impossible." Seven informed her simply.

"Why?" Harry asked, before she actually got the chance to do it.

Seven once again glanced around before answering. "Because the borg assimilated the entire population of their home planet. The species is no longer in existence."

"Of course they did." B'Elanna muttered under her breath as she shifted in her chair.

"The planet is not far from here." Seven continued, pointedly ignoring B'Elanna's comment. "We could be within sensor range by tomorrow."

"Alright, Tuvok, you and Seven start working on scanning the ship for any life forms or anything that shouldn't be here. We obviously can't see whatever it is, but maybe we can tweak the sensors to do it for us." Janeway ordered, moving behind her chair. "Tom, get the coordinates from Seven and set a course for that planet." She added and watched as they all stood to leave, a new sense of purpose in their step.

"Neelix…" She called as the Talaxian was about to walk out and waited until he was turned back towards her before continuing. "Start passing out the blankets and coffee."

She watched amusedly as Neelix smiled, apparently just glad to have something to do, before turning and leaving the room with a 'yes, ma'am'.

* * *

><p>AN: What do you think? Review please!


	4. Theories and Monsters

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: This was actually two chapters originally, but they were short and since there was a delay in posting I went ahead and combined them. After this the pace will pick up a bit, but first comes the the last few hints to the mystery.

* * *

><p>"The planet's empty. The only living things down there are the plants and animals. There's ruins and deserted towns so there <em>used<em> to be a civilization, but the inhabitants are all gone now." Harry explained as he, B'Elanna, Tuvok, the Doctor, and the Captain stood around the still motionless Tal Celes.

"What about the surrounding planets? The scans revealed at least two of them are habitable." Janeway asked thoughtful, moving away from the biobed to the computer station a few feet away.

"The same." Harry answered. "This whole system seems to have been abandoned."

"You mean assimilated." B'Elanna stated while looking over a PADD.

"Maybe." Harry shrugged, pulling at the sleeves of his uniform.

Janeway glanced up at him, noticing the tired expression and pale features of the young ensign. She knew he needed rest, just like the rest of the crew, but at the moment she couldn't give any of them a break. Tal Celes was getting worse, her life signs fading with each hour, and they still didn't have any answers.

"So, we aren't going to be getting any help from the locals." She said, looking back down at the readings for environmental. "What about internal sensors? Have you been able to reconfigure them?"

"Not yet." Tuvok answered, stepping closer to the computer console. "Seven is attempting to use her ocular implant to isolate any life signs not recognizable to our own eyes."

Janeway nodded distractedly as she continued reviewing the computer read outs. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she didn't like at all. The problem was she didn't know if it was those instincts of her kicking in again or just the effects of…whatever the hell was going on around here.

Glancing up again she was about to ask her security chief another question, but as she caught a glimpse of his glazed eyes staring straight ahead the words stopped in her throat. To most people he may appear mostly fine, but she had known him long enough to tell when something of wrong. She noticed the barely perceptible traces of emotions swimming in his dull, glazed over eyes, the way his posture was even stiffer then usual, and how his left hand was now gripping the console.

She knew this situation must be exceedingly difficult for him because, even though she knew that Vulcans had emotion whether they admitted it or not, they didn't express those emotions for a reason. And they prided themselves with their ability to control any emotional feelings they did have, but now he was being forced to endure one of the most powerful and overwhelming emotions there was. Add that to the cold temperature, which couldn't be comfortable for a desert native, and you got one hell of a bad week.

She watched covertly for a few more seconds until his hand slipped from the consol and his eyes cleared of the haze that had webbed itself in his eyes. Realizing that she had seen what just transpired, Tuvok looked her in the eyes and tilted his head just slightly to confirm that he had in fact just experienced one of those cold wind phenomenons.

She gave him a quick nod in return before going back to the monitor. Only a few seconds passed before her concentration was interrupted by the Operations Officer standing near Celes' biobed.

"What about heat?" Harry asked, staring thoughtfully at a blank wall. "We're cold, right? So maybe the virus or creature, whatever is doing this, needs the coldness to survive."

"I can't just subject my patient to something that for all I know could make her condition worse." The Doctor exclaimed, moving over to place his tricorder on a nearby stand.

"Ensign Celes will be dead within a few hours if her condition remains the same. You stated that yourself, Doctor." Tuvok said, turning to face the EMH. "The rest of the crew is slowly declining as well, therefore it would be in everyone's best interests to attempt anything that might possibly help."

"Tuvok's right." Janeway stated quickly before the Doctor could start arguing back. "We don't have many options here, Doctor. We need to try everything we can." She added before turning to address Harry. "Get back to the bridge and help Chakotay scan the planet for any power sources. B'Elanna, help the Doctor get set up." She ordered.

With a quick glance up at Tuvok she tapped her comm badge. "Janeway to Seven." She said and waited for the expected greeting, but it didn't come. Brows furrowed she tried again. "Janeway to Astrometrics." Still no response. She was beginning to think that gut feeling wasn't a side effect of what was happening.

"Computer, locate Seven of Nine." She ordered, now gaining the attention of the Doctor who was watching curiously.

"_Seven of Nine is in Astrometrics_." The even voice of the Computer stated.

"Tuvok." She said with a tilt of her head towards the door. The security chief immediately understood and turned to make his way to Astrometrics.

With a quick glance at Celes she walked around the console, taking the Doctor with her, to help B'Elanna set up for heat tests. The seconds ticked by, the three occupants of the room working mostly in silence as they each tried not to think about why Seven wouldn't be answering.

Finally, the Doctor's comm badge beeped, but it wasn't what they wanted to here. "_Doctor, stand by to have Seven beamed to sickbay. She is unconscious_." Came Tuvok's deep voice over the comm. It seemed the 'mythical creature' had claimed another victim.

* * *

><p>Four hours later...<p>

Captain Janeway paced back and forth, arms crossed and head bent slightly as she considered the options before her. Her senor staff, or what was left of them, were seated at the briefing room table. As she turned around to walk back in the other direction she glanced up to check on them.

B'Elanna was huddled next to Tom, a blanket thrown over her shoulders along with Tom's arm which was trembling every few seconds. Harry sat not far away, periodically looking around with wide eyes while Chakotay, on the other hand, sat completely still, head resting back against his chair as his eyes drooped closed. The rest of her senior staff; Tuvok, Neelix, and Seven, where all down in sick bay along side Celes and two other crewmembers who had recently been attacked.

And she was convinced that's what this was. An attack. Something, or someone, was attacking her crew. _Her_ crew! When she got her hands on the whatever the hell it was she was going to…

She stopped pacing, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to get carried away. First she had to _find_ the attackers and then she could kill them…or lock them in the brig. Whichever she felt like at the time.

She was just about to take her seat when there was swishing noise from the far wall. Her head snapped up, body tensing in anticipation as the others began looking frantically around as well. It was only the doors sliding open to admit the Doctor though.

Chakotay's head fell back against the chair again, Tom slid closer to B'Elanna and Harry's eyes began to droop closed like Chakotay's. She rubbed her temples, hoping to ease the headache bouncing along in her head. It didn't help. Just like everything else they'd tried.

The sensors still didn't pick up any foreign life signs, even with borg enhancements, the heat idea hadn't done anything at all, and no amount of stimulants would wake up those lying in sickbay. Nothing worked!

The crew was degrading fast now. Paranoia and edginess ran rapid one moment just to be overshadowed by an extreme tiredness. The cold was the same, but the chilly breezes, or 'Terror Winds' as they had been dubbed, had increased in frequency yet again. And it had only been seven hours since Celes had been attacked. By tomorrow she may not even have a crew.

"Have we tried light yet?" Tom asked thoughtfully as he flexed his shaking hand.

"Light?" Chakotay half-stated, half-asked with an edge of confusion as he raised his head.

"Yeah, monsters don't come out in the day light, you know." The tired helmsman muttered. "So maybe light would frighten them away."

"Actually…" B'Elanna began, brows furrowed as she straightened just a bit. "Aside from the ridicules way he just said that, it's not a bad idea. Heat didn't work, but maybe we have to use light, or maybe both together."

"Whatever we're going to do, it needs to be done soon. I have the patients on stimulants and life support, but Celes still isn't going to last much longer. The others are degrading rapidly as well." The Doctor informed them. "And there's something else…my program…it flickered."

"What?" Harry asked, a bit more awake now.

"I was just standing there and suddenly the holo-emitters flickered and the hypo I was holding fell right through my hand." The Doctor exclaimed dramatically. "It only lasted a second, but it was a bit disconcerting to say the least."

"I checked the EMH system not even an hour ago. There was nothing wrong with it or any other system on the ship." B'Elanna stated, shrugging out from under Tom's arm and the blanket before standing and moving over the monitor on the wall.

Janeway watched the engineer for a second before looking back at the others. "It could be that the ship is being drained now as well." She started, moving around her chair to finally sit down. "We need to figure out who or what is doing this so they can be stopped, but we also need to find a way to help those down in sickbay."

She looked around at the exhausted and depressed crew. They could hardly stay awake let alone completely focus on the task at hand. "Tom, help the Doctor with that light idea. B'Elanna I want another full system maintenance scan. I'm going to keep analyzing what data we have so far and working on the sensors. Harry, go get a couple hours of sleep then switch with Tom." She ordered before turning to her First Officer. "Start working up a continues rotation shift for the crew."

"Captain…" Harry began, obviously not wanting to just go rest.

"Mr. Kim, you're about to fall over, along with everyone else on board. Get some rest so that Mr. Paris can get some sleep too. That's an order." She stated firmly which seemed to do the trick since the young ensign nodded reluctantly, but moved out of the room along with the others.

Janeway stood, shivering slightly as a cold wind blew through her. With a deep breath she forced back the uneasy feeling and marched towards the bridge. She had a crew to protect and she'd be damned if some invisible force would keep her from doing that.

* * *

><p>AN: Next chapter coming soon! What do you think so far?


	5. Insomnia and Breakthroughs

Disclaimer: I know that you all know this, but they still make me say it…I don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: Time to throw a little more J/C into the mix and figure a few things out. Thank you all so much for alerting, favoriting, and all the wonderful reviews so far!

* * *

><p>It was like a riddle with no answer, or at least no answer anyone was able to comprehend. The sensors and programs all said the ship was working normally, that the temperature was within normal range, everything should be <em>fine<em> as far as the ship itself was concerned. It was only the crew that was feeling the effects of…something.

That brought her to another topic. They had decided that this wasn't a virus or some sort of natural phenomenon. No, it was something else doing this to them. Something alive. The problem was they couldn't see anything. The ship insisted there was no unwanted guest on board, though that didn't mean a whole lot considering they'd run into things in the past that could evade sensors. Therefore they had no way of stopping whatever it was.

Their attempts to help those in sickbay weren't working either. Her last report from Harry a few minutes ago told her that the light idea wasn't working. In fact, the Doctor noticed a tiny downward slip of Celes' vitals instead. Barely noticeable, but there.

Janeway honestly had no idea what to do now. There really wasn't anything she could do. In fact, she was beginning to think it might be best to just get the crew in the escape pods and send them off somewhere else. Somewhere far, far away from this insufferable coldness.

She was so lost in thought and so focused on the sensor analysis that she didn't even realize Chakotay had entered her ready room and was now standing in front of her desk until he cleared his throat. Her head snapped up, her hand itching to reach for the phaser on her desk, but then she saw his dark eyes and pale features.

She hadn't had much time to talk to him recently. They had both just been so busy with this crisis. A tiny voice in the back of her head wanted nothing more then to forget about this mess and spend what remaining hours she had left alone with him. Of course, the much louder, much more stubborn voice would then not-so-gently remind her that she was the Captain and had responsibilities to uphold.

"You're tired." His smooth, gentle voice stated while he eyed her worriedly.

She raised an eyebrow, the corner of her lips tilting upwards just a bit. "So are you."

"It's your turn to get some sleep." He informed her. As if she was actually going to go to sleep during all this.

"Not right now, Chakotay."

"Kathryn…" He began in that harder, more stubborn tone of voice that told her this wasn't one of those times when he'd give in to her. She didn't look up from the data PADD, instead she picked up her coffee and took a long sip while still reading the PADD as if he wasn't there.

She didn't notice how the coffee cup was shaking until a large hand took hold of her wrist, stopping the involuntary tremor. She closed her eyes for second, letting out a silent breath, before placing the cup back down on the desk. Looking up, she realized Chakotay was now standing next to her, watching her with obvious concern in his eyes, but also a determined look to go with it.

"Kathryn…" This time it was softer, as if he suddenly realized that her pounding headache was now a full blown Klingon war march. "You can't help the crew if you're laying on a bed down in sickbay with the others."

Janeway sighed, leaning back into her chair and running a hand over her eyes. He was right, she knew it. "Alright, but just a couple hours." She said, smiling slightly when she saw his relieved expression.

"I wouldn't dream of keeping you detained for any longer." He teased, a tiny sliver of his usual spark entering his eyes for the first time in days. He reached his hand out again, offering to help her up, which she gladly excepted. "Coincidently, it happens to be my turn for a break too." He added nonchalantly as they left her ready room.

"Is that so." She replied casually. "Strange how that worked out…" She added, giving him a knowing look.

"Yes, but I decided not to complain about it." He replied, giving her a mischievous sideways glance and the first real smile he'd had grace his face for a week. She smiled back, something that felt good and oddly out of place in the otherwise sober atmosphere.

* * *

><p>She couldn't sleep. It wasn't that she wasn't tired, she was extremely tired and could probably fall asleep standing up if her ship wasn't in danger. But it <em>was <em>in danger, so the only thing she could do, even while laying down in her and Chakotay's comfortable bed, was think about ways to fix it. It was part of being a good Captain, you literally just couldn't rest until your crew was safe.

She closed her eyes, shifting her head on Chakotay's shoulder as he began rubbing slow circles up and down her back. It was something he tended to do when he knew she was restless. In this instance it reminded her of the time just after the Unimatrix Zero incident for some reason.

She had finally been released from sickbay and he had shown up to escort her to her quarters. It hadn't taken him long to realize her back was still sore from the borg spinal clamps so he decided to be a good First Officer and help her relax. The message he'd given her that night was even better then the one on New Earth…and _much_ more extensive. By the next day they were officially a couple and hadn't slept in a bed alone since.

Now as she laid beside him, his warm hand gently easing her to sleep, she suddenly had flashbacks to that morning when she'd first woken up to find him watching her sleep while running a hand over her back just like he was doing now. Remembering those good days, those happy moments together, seemed to give her a sense of comfort and relaxation she'd barely had during the last week. The tingling warmth spread through her tired limbs and…

_Warmth_.

She wasn't nearly as cold as she normally was. Her eyes popped open and she sat up quickly, accidentally hitting Chakotay's chin with her head in the process. She wasn't a frozen piece of ice. Looking around she searched for anything that might give her a reason why this would be, but it was so dark she couldn't actually see anything.

_It was dark_…

Darkness. It was dark in here, not light. A slow grin began forming across her face as thoughts and formulas rolled through her mind. That was it! That was the answer. It all made sense now. She just had to figure out how to make it work.

* * *

><p>AN: We're almost there! What did you think of this chapter?


	6. Making Plans

Disclaimer: So, here's the thing, I don't own Star Trek Voyager. I just play with the characters.

A/N: Time to explain a few things...

* * *

><p>"So…you think it's the absence of light that'll get rid of them?" Harry asked from the doorway of the Doctor's office.<p>

Janeway looked up from where she and B'Elanna were bent over the Doctor's desk looking at a schematic of the ship. "The only time that the chill in the air isn't as noticeable is at night, when we're sleeping. It's still there, but almost distant, as if the source is further away."

"It makes sense." B'Elanna stated, straightening and crossing her arms. "It even explains why we don't see them."

"Okay, I'll bite.." Tom said, blinking a few times to wake himself up. "How are they invisible?"

"They absorb light, which they then reflect back towards us, making them invisible. So, when it's dark and there is no light for them to absorb, they become visible." B'Elanna explained, the barest hint of excitement in her voice.

"Which is why they don't go into darkened rooms. If they did, we could see them or at least know that there's something there." Janeway continued.

"Do you think that's why they're draining us of energy?" Chakotay asked, moving over to look out the window into the main sickbay where eight crewmembers where now unconscious.

"No." B'Elanna answered, glancing at Janeway before continuing. "We think they're taking our energy to use as their own. They start with just taking some, a bit at a time, but then as our levels get lower we think they just…"

"Take one big gulp." Tom finished dryly.

"Basically." Janeway answered with a small, slightly amused smile.

"So, your plan is to just shut off the lights?" Chakotay half-stated, half-asked.

Janeway had to admit that it did sound like an overly simple plan when put like that, but Chakotay hadn't heard the rest of her and B'Elanna's plan yet either. He couldn't. She and B'Elanna had been very careful with how they discussed their latest idea because they didn't want any of the invisible visitors to overhear them. Therefore, the less people who knew, the better. But she also knew he'd have to be told before the plan was put into action. She hesitated for a second knowing he wouldn't like her idea at all. Fortunately, the Doctor coming into the room caused a distraction.

"We'll need to start soon." The Doctor said seriously. "The entire crew is beginning to show rapidly depleting energy levels and my program is flickering again." He added gravely.

Janeway nodded, glancing quickly through the window at her fading crew members. "B'Elanna, get started. Take Harry and Tom with you and you can fill them in on the way." She ordered and watched as the they and the Doctor filed out of the office before turning to address Chakotay who was now staring at her suspiciously.

"I'm not going to like this plan you and B'Elanna have cooked up am I?" He stated more then asked.

"No, probably not." She answered honestly. She watched him for minute as he studied her with one of those looks as if he could see right through her. After a few silent seconds passed he went to speak, but she didn't hear the words even as his mouth was moving.

A cold wisp of air once again started swirling around, this time so fast she thought for sure her hair must be blowing everywhere. It lasted a few seconds, just long enough to make her bones feel like pure ice. And then, as Chakotay started frowning, that emotional storm began raging through her.

She could literally feel her heart pounding against her rib cage, her breathing becoming strained as if she couldn't get enough air into her lungs, and the overwhelming feeling of pure terror washing over her….

Then it all stopped. Leaving her with a sense of dread, an intense anxiety, and a lack of energy that made her feel as if she'd never be able to walk again. She wasn't sure how long passed, but slowly her vision began to re-focus on her surroundings…and then her knees gave out from under her.

She didn't hit the floor as she was expecting though, instead she found herself falling back into a chair. She let her eyes close for a minute as her breathing evened out and she regained some equilibrium. Opening her eyes a moment later she was met with the dark brown, worried filled eyes of her First Officer as he knelt in front of her.

A small, almost sad smile twisted her lips upwards as she met his eyes. "That was the third one in less then two hours."

Chakotay nodded slowly as he brought his hand up to brush a wayward hair from her eyes and then reverently cup her cheek. He adopted a far away look for moment, but his expression was still laced with an underlying sadness. She wanted nothing more then to be able to take that look away from, make this all better and wipe that sad expression off his face forever.

Which was why this had to be done. For him and for her crew. "Chakotay…" She began softly, reaching up and taking his hand in hers. "We don't have much time left, but the plan _will_ work. We have to do this…_I_ have to do this. Do you understand, Chakotay?"

She seared his eyes for any sign of what he was feeling, what she saw didn't surprise her. Fear, concern, doubt…but also a slow acceptance even if he didn't like it. "You're going to do this, whatever it is, whether I like it or not." He stated in a voice that said he knew quite well that he wouldn't be able to change her mind. Not this time.

"I believe you're beginning to know me a bit too well, Commander." She replied softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

He smiled at her, a small chuckle actually lightening up his face. "When this is over, you and I are taking a vacation."

Her smiled widened just a bit as she quirked an eyebrow. "Deal." She agreed with a quick nod before standing tiredly from the chair. "Let's go see how B'Elanna and the others are coming along." She added, pulling her uniform jacket a bit tighter and leading the way to the research lab.

* * *

><p>Kathryn Janeway stood by the sickbay computer console, letting her gaze drift from patient to patient. Another crewmen had fallen victim in the last half hour, bringing the count up to nine. There wouldn't be any more casualties though. Not if she had anything to say about it. And since this was <em>her<em> ship she had everything to say about it, something that the aliens attacking her crew would soon discover.

The door swishing open behind her caused her to tense, but she did manage to fight down the urge to turn and seek out the intruder. It helped that she knew who it was immediately.

"I just talked to Harry. He says everything's ready and they're standing by." Chakotay told her as he walked up to stand beside her.

She nodded, eyes falling on Tal Celes who was barely breathing and looking more like a corpse then anything else. She uncrossed her arms and hit her comm badge. "Doctor, begin administering the neuroparalyzer." She ordered before turning to Chakotay.

"Captain, I can stay behind. You don't need to be put in the danger like this. I…"

"You…" She interrupted, placing a hand on his arm to get him to stop. "…need to join the others. I'll be fine. And if I'm not…well, you'll be getting promoted sooner then you expected." She added teasingly.

He apparently didn't find it very funny. "You're the Captain…"

"Yes, I am." She once again interjected, this time letting her hand drop and leveling him with a serious stare. "And it's the Captain's job to protect her crew. I swore to always protect this crew, Chakotay."

Chakotay sighed tiredly, running a hand over his face before reluctantly nodding his head. He didn't agree, she knew he didn't, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it under the circumstances either. "Just…be careful. Please." He implored her softly, taking a hold of her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze for emphasis.

She nodded, giving his hand a squeeze in return before letting go and turning to re-check the calculations. A few minutes passed before the doors of sickbay swished open again, this time allowing the Doctor to march in.

"The entire crew has been given the neuroparalyzer along with a little something to induce a coma, just in case." He told them while placing his med kit on a nearby tray. "The only three people left conscious are us. Though I suppose I may not be considered 'conscious' exactly, but…"

"Thank you, Doctor." Janeway stated in an attempt to hurry the plan along and then turned to address her First Officer. "Ready?"

Chakotay caught her eyes, silently asking if she was sure about this, and when she gave him an almost imperceptible nod he sighed, but moved over to an empty biobed to lay down. She followed him, standing by his side as the Doctor got the necessary hypos.

She looked down at him, his fatigue lined face and dark circles giving her even more of and incentive to do this. "I love you. You know that, right?" He whispered so the Doctor couldn't overhear.

The statement was soft, but yet filled with so much underlying emotion that even if he wasn't staring at her with those love filled eyes she would have known he was telling the truth anyways. "Yes, I do." She answered, just as softly while he laced his fingers with hers. "And I love you too, Chakotay."

He smiled up at her tiredly, a small twinkle taking root in his eyes just before the Doctor approached and immediately stuck the first hypo to his neck. As the drug took effect his eyes closed, easing away some of the hard edge that had worked itself onto his face over the last few days. With the second hypo his breathing nearly stopped, the monitor on the wall showing an almost non-existent heart rate.

"All done." The Doctor stated seriously, causing her to look up at him.

"Time for step two then." With that she moved back over to the console, picking up the wrist light and putting it on as she went. With a quick, shared look with the Doctor she pressed a single button and sent the entire ship into pitch blackness.

* * *

><p>AN: More questions will be answered soon. Ready to meet the visitors?


	7. Confronting Fear

Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: I couldn't help but to throw a tiny bit of humor into this chapter. It's almost over now...

* * *

><p>Captain Janeway moved smoothly through the corridors, periodically shinning the wrist light back and forth to make sure she wouldn't trip over anything in the dark. She had expected to see an alien invader by now, but so far the only thing moving around was her.<p>

Without any obstacles in her way she made it to the bridge rather quickly. The bridge was as dark and silent as the rest of the ship. And empty. There were no crew and no aliens either. She was just about to run a scan to make sure all the lights were off when she felt it.

A cold wind. Only this time it seemed colder, if that was possible, and it wasn't stopping as it normally would. Instead it was getting stronger, heavier almost. Sensing movement behind her she turned on her heels quickly just in time to see at least a dozen cloaked forms standing only a few feet away from her.

They were dark, almost unseeable in their black, hooded cloaks that seemed to sparkle with a strange metallic gleam. Before she had a chance to so much as step back one was jumping towards her, knocking her over and sending the wrist light flying out of her reach.

She rolled over and jumped back to her feet as the group of cloaked figures began to swarm around her. The icy air was almost too much to bear now, it just kept coming, making her nose and fingers start going numb. And then, as they got closer, a feeling of impending doom washed over her that was stronger then any she'd ever felt so far.

Fear was something she'd accepted a long time ago. Not just accepted, welcomed, because she knew how to control fear to use in her advantage. She could ignore it, hold it, turn it against an enemy...she had mastered it. But this? This sent a cold shiver down her spine in a way that she hadn't experienced since she was a child. She didn't let it show, couldn't let it. No, she held her posture straight and was determined to face the threat head on.

She was ready for them, ready for what they could do. After all, she had known this was a possibility. With her entire crew nearly comatose that left her as the only source of energy for them to feed on. She was the only target left in a big, open ship.

She was just about to make a lunge for one of the consoles so she could finish carrying out the plan, but her feet seemed to be frozen to the deck plating. The numbness was working it's way up her arms and she suddenly realized why the inhabitants of the planet below thought that these creatures froze their victim's heart. She seemed completely frozen, inside and out, like a giant ice cube that just happened to look like Kathryn Janeway.

She was trying to think of what to do, but between the cold and the pure terror trying to overwhelm her it made it hard to form a coherent thought. There were just too many of them. They were everywhere…

"Stop." The short, calm command broke through the haze that had overshadowed her and, opening her eyes that she hadn't even realized were closed, she saw the dark forms practically float away into the dark corners of the bridge until she couldn't see them anymore.

Turning around to find the source of the voice she came face-to-face with a human female. The woman was just standing there, straight backed and looking completely emotionless. Her pitch black hair seemed to glisten and almost float around her shoulders as if a gentle spring breeze was blowing it around. She was wearing a slivery, long sleeved dress and looked just like any other human, except for the eyes. Her eyes seemed to consist of more then one color, as if all the normal human eye colors were combined into one pupil and mixed harmoniously. It was almost hypnotizing in a way.

The woman, creature, hallucination, or whatever she was, took a slow step forward, studying her with a look of curiosity. "You're a scrawny little thing." The dark haired woman stated.

Scrawny? Janeway decided not to mention how this 'scrawny little thing' could brake her jaw with one solid punch. Instead she ignored the comment as if it never existed. "Who are you?" She asked firmly, turning as the other woman began circling her.

"Our species' name is not pronounceable for your vocal range. However, you may call us…tribbles." The woman answered.

Janeway stared unblinkingly at the person in front of her for moment, a blank look on her face as she tried to let that sink in. "Tribbles?" She finally managed to ask with a hint of disbelief lacing her voice.

"We have been examining your ship's records and have found that tribbles, while a threat to agriculture and economy, are not generally feared. Therefore we found that name fitting." Came the casual answer.

"I see." She stated flatly. She once again decided not to bring up how that name wasn't fitting at all. Instead she moved on to the next question. "You look human. Is that your normal form?"

"No." The human looking tribble answered. "We are capable of metamorphosis and believed this form would be more comfortable for you. We can change our facial features, skin texture, and hair follicle development so we may take any physical appearance we chose, but we are, as you call it, humanoid."

Janeway nodded, still moving around in a circle as the alien continued to study her. "Why are you here? Why my ship?"

"Ever since the borg entered this space several decades ago and took away our energy sources we have not had many opportunities to fill ourselves. When this vessel came into our space we took advantage of the chance." The answer was given so matter-of-factly and casually it set her an edge.

"Those _energy sources_ were living people." Janeway ground out through a clenched jaw as both she and the other woman finally stopped moving.

"As you say." The humanoid alien stated with a shrug. "When the borg took them to their ship, we followed in hopes of finding more energy sources. However, the borg were made of too much machine to gain any energy from, so we stayed behind in our natural space. Now we take what we can from passing ships such as yours."

"You don't need to do that anymore. My crew and I have developed the formula for a devise that could give you all the sustainable energy you need without the living host." Janeway stated, hoping she could negotiate with these people and come to an arrangement that would spare her crew and give the invaders what they wanted.

"I know." That simply answer sounded a bit too foreboding for her taste. "We are not interested in your devise. We have such devises of our own, but these 'living hosts' as you put it, are capable of giving us a quicker and easier means of harvesting. A machine has to be taken care of, natural energy sources do not and we are born with the ability to drain those sources without the help of a device."

"You're killing living people unnecessarily!" She exclaimed angrily, but the woman in front of her either didn't comprehend that or just didn't care.

"I suggest you be careful, Captain." The other woman began dangerously. "We are quite capable of killing _you_ at any moment, but we have not. We have spared you."

"For now, you mean." She said with a raised eyebrow. "Once you've completely drained my crew, killing them all in the process, then you'd finish me off. Is that what you're planning?"

"You are very perceptive, Captain Janeway." The woman stated with a raised eyebrow of her own.

Janeway rolled her eyes and rubbed her temple in an effort to ease the pain that was trying to crack her skull open. "I would like to be able to compromise with your people. We'll make that device for you and then you, all of you, leave this ship and it's crew alone." She began formally in the best diplomatic tone she could manage under the circumstances. "You are the leader of your people I take it? You could make this decision."

"I speak for my race, yes." The woman answered with a brief nod. "It is quite an honor for you actually. Never before have we allowed outsiders to see us and we certainly do not talk with them."

"I'm flattered." Janeway stated dryly.

"However, your proposal is not acceptable." The dark haired woman continued and took a slow, predatory step closer. "We will stay and you _will_ give the other energy sources the antidote to the drugs making them unresponsive to us."

"Sorry, I hate to disappoint you, but that's not happening." She replied, sending a glare to the intruder. "I can't allow you to continue doing this to my crew. I would like to compromise with your people, but if that's not possible then I'll have to move on to the next option."

"And what, Captain, is this next option?"

A slow smirk crossed her face as she leveled the woman with a another glare while bringing her hand up to tap her comm badge. "Now, Doctor." She ordered quickly and watched as the humanoid tribble's eyes widened.

"You see while your people are visible the sensors can detect them and if the sensors can detect them then we can beam them off this ship. And since there's no light for you to absorb…" She trailed off, knowing the woman in front of her understood.

The humanoid woman got a fierce look in her multi-colored eyes, an air of pure anger radiating off her as her black hair began blowing around her face as if she were standing in the middle of wind storm. "We will simply re-enter your ship as we did the first time."

"No, you wont. The controls of this ship have been programmed to jump to high warp the second the last of you are on the planet below. You won't have a chance to get back up here and we'll be out of this sector within a few seconds." She informed the woman as jets of cold air blew around the bridge.

"You're bluffing, Captain. We would have noticed any such attempts to program the controls."

"Not when you were busy focusing on the only source of energy left on the ship." Janeway reminded her with a raised eyebrow and hard look in her eyes.

"A distraction…" The alien muttered and in the next second the human form was gone, only to be replaced by a large robed figure making a high pitched screeching sound.

Janeway covered her ears as the noise pierced through her head like a bolt of lightening. Before she could so much as look up she felt herself being knocked to the ground, head hitting the edge of a console on the way down. She didn't notice though, all she was aware of was the ice cold wind making her shiver and the unbearable pain radiating from the inside out and encompassing her entire body.

The image of the bridge dissolved and was replaced by a dark figure standing over her and scenes of horrific, terrifying things racing through her mind so fast she couldn't actually grasp what each individual one was. She could feel a presence all around her, a dark foreboding presence she knew wanted her dead, but the physical pain stopped her from moving a muscle in defense.

A few seconds later the chill in her bones and the pain exploding throughout her body melted away into blackness as Kathryn Janeway lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>AN: Yes, I know, I'm evil for all these cliffhangers. Next chapter to come soon though. Meanwhile, what did you think of this one?


	8. In the End

Disclaimer: You know this and I know this, but I don't own Star Trek Voyager!

A/N: So here it is, the last part of this little story. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting!

* * *

><p>"I think it's time you got some rest in a real bed, Commander." The Doctor suggested seriously, walking up to stand on the opposite side of Captain Janeway's bed and looking down at the First Officer who was sitting in a chair on the other side.<p>

"In a little while, Doctor." Chakotay answered, not looking up from where he was staring thoughtfully at the motionless and sickly pale Captain.

The Doctor sighed, but finished scanning the Captain and turned to walk back to his office. He was halfway there when the sickbay doors opened and Tuvok walked in. "Back already I see. Why don't I set up a few more beds and you can all just move in." He said dryly, getting a raised eyebrow from the vulcan Security Officer.

As the Doctor started walking away, muttering as he went, Tuvok continued his way over to the Captain and Commander. "Has there been any change?" He asked with only the slightest trace of curiosity lacing his otherwise emotionless voice.

"No, the Doctor says her energy levels are starting to get back to normal though. She just hasn't woken up yet." Chakotay answered before suddenly looking up with a suspicious look. "Weren't you just in here?"

"It has been nearly nine hours. My duty shift has ending and Mr. Kim is now on the bridge." The vulcan stated with a quirked eyebrow.

"I must have lost track of time." Chakotay muttered, mostly to himself, as he looked back down at the Captain.

"Understandable given the circumstances." Tuvok's answered, causing Chakotay's head to shoot up once more in surprise.

"I suppose it is." He stated evenly, eyeing the other man curiously.

"What's understandable?" The soft, raspy sounding voice from the biobed quickly brought both of their attentions down to the woman shifting on the bed.

Her eyes were closed tightly as her left hand came up to rub her forehead and the other flexed slowly at her side. "Kathryn." Chakotay breathed out, before looking up and tilting his head towards the office. Tuvok nodded and left to fetch the Doctor.

"You gave us one hell of a scare, you know that." Chakotay said softly, running his hand over her head and through her hair. He slipped his free hand into hers, gently uncurling the fingers in the process.

"No, I'm pretty sure that was the Tribbles." She muttered, slowly opening her eyes against the lights in sickbay.

Chakotay frowned, confusion written on his face. "The…tribbles." He stated evenly, his confusion lacing into his voice as well.

"Mhm." She replied simply, blinking a few times to clear the fog from her mind. She looked up and, seeing the bewildered and concerned look on his face, smiled slightly at him.

"Well, Captain, it's good to see you finally amongst the land of the conscious." The Doctor said as he walked up to the bed and she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Doctor, I think you may need to give her another check over just in case that concussion did more damage then we thought." Chakotay told him softly, glancing down at the Captain who just rolled her eyes and messaged her temples some more.

"I'm not delusional, Chakotay." She assured him. "They said we could call them Tribbles." She added and then looked over at the Doctor. "Is everyone alright?"

"Once I beamed the aliens off the ship the stimulates started taking effect. The crew began to wake up within a couple hours. You, however, took longer due to having a concussion and excessive exposure to our visitors." The Doctor answered, pressing a hypo to her neck while talking.

"You've been unconscious for two days." Chakotay told her, obviously relieved she was now awake.

"Any more unwanted guests hanging around?" She asked, rubbing her neck while the Doctor began scanning her with a tricorder.

"None. And according to Seven we've left their region of space." Chakotay answered.

"What about the devise plans? Where you able to beam them down to the planet as well?" She continued to ask, this time looking at the Doctor.

"I beamed it down with the last batch. If they change their mind, they'll have the means." The Doctor answered with a nod.

"It's up to them now. However, that region of space is mostly deserted, therefore at some point they may be forced to change." Tuvok added, crossing his arms over his chest.

Janeway nodded, thinking back to the confrontation with the 'Tribble' leader and those cold, uncaring eyes. She hoped they would see reason, realize that their 'energy sources' were living beings like themselves. Maybe one day they would.

"Well, Captain, you're energy levels are starting to balance out, but you still need rest." The Doctor's voice broke through her thoughts. "I prescribed light duty for the entire crew and I'm doing the same for you. I also suggest that we take shore leave at the first opportunity." He continued, putting the tricorder down and moving to stand next to Tuvok. "I realize you'll be wanting to leave sickbay and in order to forgo any arguments I've decided to release you to your quarters, but only after you eat a solid meal."

Janeway quirked an eyebrow, but she couldn't deny she was tired and as long as she could leave sickbay then she didn't have any reason to argue. "Mr. Tuvok, could you please have Neelix put a tray of food together?" The Doctor asked and once Tuvok nodded and left, with one last glance in her direction as if making sure she was really alright, the Doctor turned back to his patient. "I've written up a menu for Mr. Neelix to prepare for the next few days." He told her proudly with an almost smug smile.

"Thank you, Doctor." She said politely, restraining herself from rolling her eyes and instead shared a look with Chakotay who was hiding a smile.

"My pleasure, Captain." He stated with that same smile before humming and walking to his office.

Kathryn smiled, and leaned into the pillow behind her back before turning her attention to the First Officer by her side. "We should have Neelix throw a celebration of some sort for the crew. Something to help them relax until we can take a shore leave. After the last week they deserve it."

"Yes, _we_ do." Chakotay stated with a pointed look. "If I remember correctly you agreed to take a vacation."

Janeway raised an eyebrow, a slow smirk spreading across her face to match the mischievous glint in Chakotay's eyes. As he leaned in closer she glanced around, making sure no crewmen were in viewing range, just before his lips met hers. For the first time in over a week she felt a warmth burst through her veins and spread through her limbs, melting away any remnants of ice.

* * *

><p>AN: How did you like the story? Also, for anyone who might be interested, I'll be posting a short oneshot that'll be a sort of interlude to this story and from Tal Celes' POV.


End file.
